United States: A total of 49 individuals died from Valley Fever in 2024, while 3,990 people suffered an infection from this fungal disease.
The county public health department recently launched an awareness initiative by displaying personal stories to lower the yearly statistics of Valley Fever cases and deaths.
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As per Kern County Public Health Director Brynn Carrigan, “This is the first time that I stand and address a public health threat that I have experienced myself,” kget.com reported.
The doctors diagnosed Carrigan with an uncommon version of Valley Fever in May 2024.
“I was doing everything that a normal 40-year-old active person would be doing, and within a month, I was practically bedridden,” as per Carrigan.
FACES OF #Valley FEVER: #Kern County Public Health unveils new campaign https://t.co/he9ONU7sNz
— KernCity.com (@BakersfieldKern) April 5, 2025
Additionally, Kern Probation Division Director Joel Walton became the face of Valley Fever at 41.
“They discovered the reason the Valley Fever was thriving was that my immune system was suppressed because of the chemotherapy,” Walton added.
She now participates in the Faces of Valley Fever Campaign at a time when Kern County experienced its most deadly Valley Fever outbreak to date.
At age 19, Walton learned he had testicular cancer, followed by a Valley Fever diagnosis after his cancer tests aged 22 years.
About the disease
Faces of Valley Fever campaign hopes to stop the death rate https://t.co/DLGBFYkect
— Kern Public Health (@KCPublicHealth) April 4, 2025
The spores that cause Valley Fever develop in the soil until airborne when the ground becomes disturbed. The disease spreads to humans and animals without discrimination to their species.
The disease passes through the air only because of dirt spores. This disease does not spread from person to person and especially infects 60% of people who remain symptom-free, kget.com reported.
The condition can migrate from the nervous system through the organs before it reaches both the skin and skeleton. Symptoms emerge between one to three weeks after someone encounters the infection.